In the status quo, heavier weapons or equipment items, e.g., heavy machine guns, are mounted on stands, including portable stands, to assist with the stability and ease of using such items. Stands may be used in a wide variety of end uses including on moving platforms, portable applications, fixed sites, submersible vehicles, moving vehicles, airborne applications, to name a few. Users of these mounted guns also desire the use of accessories with the weapons. For example, a user desires using targeting aids, such as a light, laser, or sight, to help increase the effectiveness of using the equipment item or weapon. Additionally, the user may desire increased protection or armament while using the weapon. For example, a user desires using a ballistic shield. An accessory might be attached directly to an equipment item or weapon or might be attached to a rail system that is connected to the weapon. For example, a laser sighting device is attached to a weapon near the rear of the weapon and a ballistic shield is attached to the weapon in between the laser sighting device and the front of the weapon. The ballistic shield is also in between the front of the weapon and the user of the weapon. A disadvantage to this approach is the possibility of obstruction by the shield, resulting in “splash-back” of laser radiation. Such splash-back may “bloom-out” a weapon user's night vision, effectively blinding the user. It can also be an eye safety concern, depending on the location of personnel in relation to any reflected laser radiation. Another difficulty with attempts to create accessory mounting systems is creating a mounting system which is compatible with more than one shield or shroud design which also meets other needs and satisfies design, manufacturing constraints, a wide variety of real world field events and failure modes, mounting scenarios, equipment/weapon types, equipment interaction limitations, or environmental constraints, such as described in this application.
In the case of some other weapons, especially heavy equipment or weapon systems, rail systems might mount directly to the weapon or to the shroud of the weapon. Such direct or shroud mounted systems place undesired stresses on the weapon itself. Furthermore, weapon shrouds are also typically non-uniform in positioning, often resulting in the rail system, and hence the accessories, being in an undesired and often non-uniform, unusable, and unreliable orientation which creates unpredictable, damaging, or undesired effects in field use. Thus, it would be desirable to have an accessory mounting system that does not mount on the weapon or the shroud of the weapon. Furthermore, it would be desirable to have an accessory mounting system that is uniformly positioned and modular. Additional features such as minimized weight and strength are also desired by users in combination with the various desired features.
Accessory mounting systems have limited capabilities and can be overloaded by the weight and orientation of the accessories connected to its components, e.g., a rail system. An overloaded rail can impact the area connected to the rail system. For example, an overloaded rail system on a weapon or weapon shroud can warp the weapon or the weapon shroud, thereby damaging the weapon or weapon shroud and affecting the performance of the weapon. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a rail system that addresses overloading of the rail system.
With increased use of accessories on a rail system, also comes the increased management of collateral items that accompany the accessories. For example, many accessories have collateral items, e.g., cables, (e.g., electrical, power, control, and other wise) coupled to the accessory that must be located somewhere. The cable can dangle from the weapon, which could significantly affect the user of the weapon and his use of the weapon, or, preferably, it can be managed on the weapon. Therefore, it would be desirable to have an accessory mounting system that also addresses management of collateral items.